


Histeria In Wisteria Blooms

by Sakhyu



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Gen, Genderbending, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-17 03:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8129140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakhyu/pseuds/Sakhyu
Summary: In retrospect, I should have known something smelled fishy the moment I had accidentally dyed my bangs blonde instead of green. SI!fem!Hikaru





	1. "DID I GET LOST ON THE ROAD OF LIFE OR SOMETHING?"

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I wish I could own this series. If I did, Sai would come back and they will live happily ever after. Since that obviously didn't happen, I obviously don't own this series then. /weeps/

I stared upwards. Blankly.

For as long as I could remember, I had always been able to recall vague memories that seemed to belong to another life. To a life where I had a different family and a different set of friends. A life where I had been older.

_A life I no longer had._

Sure, I had always known these facts on some kind of subconscious level. But I didn't really think about why I was here and not where I was before, and why everything had changed. Perhaps it was done deliberately to make it easier on my, uh, transfer, but I had just been happy about the new chance I was given.

I was content. So why would I think about sad things and brood? To me, that was just a waste of time!

. . .

In retrospect, I should have known something smelled fishy the moment I had accidentally dyed my bangs blonde instead of green.

_'A-Are you okay?!'_

Pretty, silk cloth shimmered in the light as someone fluttered around me nervously. I tracked the flitting fabric dully as my heavy head started to swirl in complete confusion. Hadn't I been alone? When did someone else come into the room? Taking a deep breath to mentally brace myself, I tilted my head towards the dark blob in the peripheral of my vision and . . . began staring at . . . it . . . him?

Beautiful bluish-purple eyes stared at me worriedly, the beginning of tears building on the thick eyelashes.

 _'I didn't mean to scare you!'_ The man fidgeted and seemingly floated higher in his agitation.

_Floated._

. . .

I blinked once. Twice.

. . .

Too-pretty-to-be-real guy was still floating beside me, concern oozing out of his figure like a faucet. Taking a closer look, I suddenly realized that the man was actually _transparent_. Like, seriously see-through. It was almost as if he was a ghost . . .

 _Wait_.

My eyes widened in shock as my lungs came to a stuttering halt. With one last frightened glance at the floating man, I felt a spike in panic as I ascertained that _yes_ , this man was still floating and transparent. Letting out a strangled squeak, I backed away in a hurry before bumping my head harshly on the wall that was apparently behind me.

Tears sprung into my eyes as sweet darkness crept into my vision and my world began swirling.

 _'Ah!_ ' Potential-ghost cried out in alarm.

And with that, I, Shindou Hikaru . . .

. . . Fainted dead away.

* * *

'Be careful going in search of adventure - it's ridiculously easy to find.'

 _―_ William Least Heat-Moon

* * *

_._

_._

_._

_He placed a thin chapter book in front of me, smirk on and eyes twinkling in silent laughter. Did he think I was really that stupid? Scowling, I snatched the book away before immediately opening it._

_". . ."_

_And then I stared at it in baffled confusion. Because one, the book was completely in Chinese, which I couldn't read. Two, pictures of a grid with black and white circles decorated the sides of the pages._

_". . . Is this Chinese checkers or something?" I asked reluctantly as I flipped a few more pages before hesitantly placing it down. This time, he laughed out loud as he took the book back and flipped through it himself with a fond smile._

_"No, though I can teach you that instead if you want," he said as he patted what looked to be a wooden and 3-D version of the pictures I had been looking at._

_"But I think you would like this game better. This here, is . . . Go."_

_._

_._

_._

Something pulled me back to the world of the living.

Well, not really 'something'. I couldn't really stay unconscious when it felt like someone had slammed me with a hammer full of nausea. Groaning pitifully, I reluctantly pried open my heavy eyes and scrambled to my knees, bringing them to my chest as I tried fruitlessly to calm my protesting stomach. I seriously did not want to throw up in here, in the dusty attic full of potentially priceless artifacts. After all, Grandpa would kill me.

With that in mind, I took several deep breaths and released them slowly.

Everything was okay. Everything was okay. Everything was okay.

I was fine. I was completely fine. There was absolutely nothing wrong _―_

The sound of rustling fabric broke through my frantic mantra. I froze. As far as I knew, nobody else was in the attic with me. Akari had elected to go shopping instead of visiting my grandparents with me and both of them were making me lunch. I had offered to help dust and sort out the mess in his attic since they never did so themselves. So there really shouldn't be anyone . . . here . . .

Wait. That . . . wasn't all that right either.

Taking in a few more breaths (though now I felt like I was more hyperventilating than actually calming down), I stiffly turned around to meet another pair of eyes.

A young man with the longest purplish-black hair I had ever seen stared at me in visible distress, fat tears sliding down his cheeks in complete silence. Shrinking back into the wall, he fidgeted with what seemed to be a fan as he curled up slightly, as if he was trying to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible.

". . ."

I stared. This . . . was probably not something, or someone, you'll see everyday. The man wore very old-fashioned clothes, the things you'll see in movies. In addition, he was so beautiful that I was already feeling a bit jealous. Sure, I was cute, but I didn't stand a chance against _that_.

The man cried some more. I stared at him a bit more.

"Oh," I said blankly when I finally found my voice. "So you were what had made me faint."

Pretty boy looked even more distressed before he sobbed and covered his teary face with his fan.

I blinked, took in the transparency of the man, and then fainted again.

* * *

So, maybe I should have been expecting this. In hindsight, I really should have.

After all, my freaking name was _Shindou Hikaru_. Okay, granted, I really couldn't remember the importance of my last name at all. Until _the incident_ had happened and all the clues practically pierced themselves together, I didn't think my name was that weird. Hikaru was a perfectly normal and popular Japanese name, so I had totally ignored it.

In addition. My best friend was Akari. This . . . was quite normal too. After all, we were neighbors, and so we became friends when we were just toddlers. I didn't really think much about it.

No matter how many clues presented themselves to me, I had brushed them all off with logical thinking.

Yeah, I liked soccer, mostly because I was actually athletic in this world. Finally being able to kick a ball in a straight line made me really like physical education classes. I mean, wow, I'm not tripping over my own feet anymore. It was a _miracle_.

Next. Well. My bangs were dyed blonde because of an accident. Back in my old life, my strict parents would have never let me dyed my hair. I really wanted to try it now that my new parents were more lenient . . . but who knew I would accidentally buy yellow dye instead of green? Green would have even matched my eyes! I didn't even buy enough to dye my whole head blonde . . .

No matter how coincidental things became (why were there so many Go salons everywhere? Why did everyone know about Go? Why was there that website called NetGo?), I had brushed it all off.

After all, I was _female_. And the faint memory I had of a _boy_ and his Go-obsessed ghost made it quite obvious that I couldn't be him.

_'A-Ah . . .'_

But obviously, gender meant nothing when you get reincarnated into an anime. Which sounded just as absurd as it did in my thoughts. Really though, had I gotten lost on the road of life or something? How badly did I mess up to get reincarnated into an _anime_?

"So let me get this straight," I started dubiously as I eyed the fidgeting and visibly upset ghost. "You are from the Heian era, your name is Fujiwara no Sai, and you are a ghost who just wants to play Go."

This was so insane. I was talking to a ghost. I was talking to one of my favourite manga characters. At the moment, I still couldn't decide if I should squeal and try to glomp the adorably pretty and nervous man or if I should scream.

Fujiwara no Sai (in the _flesh_ . . . uh, ghostly flesh) nodded frantically. I would have thought his besotted face funny had I was not confined to my bed (I wasn't even allowed to go to school!) because my parents caught wind of my little fainting spell. How, I had no idea. The walls really had ears.

Pity they didn't have ghost-seeing eyes, though.

 _'Yes! You don't have to be so scared, I won't hurt you,'_ The Heian-era ghost fretted over me but still kept a sizable distance. After all, even now I would flinch away whenever he got too close.

Hey, it wasn't like I was doing it on purpose. I was just very terrified of ghosts, okay? And though I knew that Sai would never do anything to hurt me (at least, my _other_ memories tell me that), knowing and doing are two very different things.

But still, I really hated watching the ghost's heart-broken face whenever I showed him just how scared I was. So, if I kept that in mind . . .

". . . I know," I said with a sigh as I studied the ghost. Sai didn't seem to be a bad spirit, and all my memories told me he was good. It was really stupid of me to be so high-strung about all of this. If anything, I should be thankful I was reborn in the safe, Go-centric manga. What would I do if I was reborn in that popular _ninja_ anime or something? Oh my _god_.

Yes. I was very thankful for the small mercies.

"Do you want to play some Go now then?" I asked as I stared thoughtfully at the bloody goban my grandpa gave me after I had begged for an hour straight. Thankfully, I was very obedient and caused almost no trouble compared to canon!Hikaru, so my grandpa very reluctantly relented in the end.

 _'Go? Of course! Can we play Hikaru? Please?'_ Sai all but beamed at me as he started bouncing. However, he deflated when he realized there were no stones beside the goban. _'Oh, but Hikaru, we can't play with just a goban . . .'_

Resisting the smile that was threatening to appear, I got off my bed and made my way to my desk. Opening the lower drawer, I carefully took out a set of very familiar stones. This time, when I turned around, I was treated to the sight of one surprised ghost.

 _'Eh?_ ' Sai said with wide eyes. _'Hikaru, you play Go?'_

". . . No, I don't," I replied as I carried the bowls of stones to the goban. It wasn't a lie. After all, I really haven't played at all in this life. I only had the set of stones because of nostalgia (before this, I didn't even buy a goban!), and to be honest, I didn't really play much in my previous life too. I had always been busy in school, but I now wondered why I didn't pay more attention to my manga. After all, my in-depth knowledge in biology won't help me here!

"So you'll have to teach me, Sai." The confusion on the ghost's face disappeared as he started to bounce happily again. I turned away when I saw the tears glistening in his eyes, and didn't say anything when they ran down his cheeks. Carefully, I listened to the gentle instructions and slowly pawed a black stone.

_CLACK._

And thus began our first game.

* * *

"Ugh," I said as my eyes swept over the board and I realized I had lost. Again. "I resign. You really are good."

 _'Can we play again, Hikaru?'_ Eager puppy eyes blinked at me. I could almost see the wagging tale and ears.

". . . I guess we can," I relented after stealing a glance at my clock. It was starting to get pretty late, but tomorrow was the start of my weekend, so I didn't have to get up early or anything. "One more game though, I really should go to sleep."

Placing down my first move, I blinked slowly when I realized something. "Hey, I don't feel as sick anymore."

 _'. . .'_ The ghost gave me a sheepish look. I twitched.

_'Sorry Hikaru, I think my emotions seeped into your conscious . . .'_

Blinking again, I closed my eyes and tried valiantly to remember if this was something that had happened in canon. It . . . did, didn't it? After all, how did Sai get canon!Hikaru to play Go in the first place . . . ? Even if my memories of the Go manga were fuzzy, I could distinctly remember that I was nothing like canon!Hikaru. Not at all.

". . . It's fine, but please don't do it too much in public. I don't want to get sick outside again . . ." With a sigh, I placed another stone and drilled more holes into the goban with my eyes. Though I knew I probably would never win against Sai, no one could fault me for trying to give him a good fight.

 _'Of course, Hikaru! I'll try my best!'_ The ghost said even as he used his fan to point out his next move. I stared at the white stone as I ran through the previous matches we did and tried to think of the best move I could do now.

"I'll have to get better at thinking my responses too," I mused when I finally figured out something I could do. "I don't want anyone to think I'm crazy . . ."

_Click._

_._

_._

_Clack._

_._

_._

_Click._

Within a few minutes, I had lost again.

"I resign," I said with a sigh as I got up and started cleaning up. Sai pouted beside me, but still looked quite happy.

 _'You learn really quickly, Hikaru,'_ the ghost remarked as he fluttered behind me. I hid a small smile. Sai, say hello to my one good point: my amazing memory.

Even in my old life, I had a really good memory. Part of it was probably from my parents' genes; they were both scholars and could memorize a book from the front cover to the end and from the end to the front. I probably also improved my memory from the countless violin pieces I had memorized as I grew up. Needless to say, my memory was pretty top-notch.

As Hikaru, however . . . If I was correct, canon!Hikaru had really good memory too, right? How else would he have been able to play Go otherwise?

If anything, my memory had improved astronomically. I just didn't really realize it until now. After all, I haven't even needed to memorize any school things, since I can coast through elementary school easily with my past knowledge.

"Thanks," I said as I tidied everything up and put the Go things onto my desk. Stretching and making my bed again, I slanted a look at the euphoric ghost.

 _So, tell me about yourself?_ I thought to the ghost, giving the telepathy-like communicating method a try. Sai blinked at me twice in confusion before humoring me with my request.

_'I taught Go for the Emperor in the Heian Capital. I played Go everyday, and was so happy. There was another who had also served as the Emperor's Go teacher, and one day he commented to the Emperor . . .'_

* * *

**O-M-A-K-E**

* * *

Canon!Hikaru made everything look so nice, like his life didn't change at all after getting a constant companion.

Let me tell you that it is totally not true.

 _Sai . . ._ I sighed as I stared at my pajamas in slight frustration. _Can you leave the washroom?_

The ghost blinked at me prettily. _'Is something wrong Hikaru?'_

I groaned and bid my lovely ex freedom a tearful goodbye.

 _No, I just need to change_. I explained patiently. Sai . . . turned red.

 _'Oh!'_ He squeaked before all but fleeing. I blinked, bemused. Well, Sai did look quite proper. It wasn't a surprise that he'll be so shy.

Briefly, I wondered if the ghost even knew I was a girl.

* * *

After cleaning up the books and dusting some of the decorative china, I stared at the intricately designed goban and placed my finger onto it. It came away with a layer of dust and caused me to sneeze.

Wiping my nose, I gave the slab of wood another once-over. The goban was really beautiful . . . but . . .

"Ah, too bad its so stained," I muttered to myself as I leaned in closer. "Is this . . . grapefruit juice or something? My grandparents are so clumsy!"

* * *

I covered my face with my blankets. I turned around to face the wall. I scrunched my body into a ball.

Nothing worked. How great. Why didn't ghosts come with their own how-to manual again?

With a groan, I peeled open my tired eyes and sat up slowly, before turning to my new roommate.

" _Hey_ ," I hissed, brain too muddled to try and do my usual telepathy. "Stop doing your ghostly glowing thing!"

Sai blinked and looked sheepish. But . . . the light he emitted did not become any darker. Groaning, I fell back onto my bed and resolved to buy a sleeping mask first thing tomorrow.

"I'm too old for a nightlight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: /weeps/ Why do I keep falling for these dead fandoms. Anyway, I haven't really seen an SI!Hikaru fic before, so I tried my hand at one. That being said, Hikaru is OOC because he is not canon!Hikaru. She's actually someone from our world (who has seen Hikaru no Go) and is reborn into the Go world.
> 
> Comments and reviews are very appreciated. HNG fic reccs are too, to be honest.


	2. "WOW IT'S BEEN TWO DAYS AND I'VE ALREADY MADE A MISTAKE."

_"What Hikaru no Go character do you like best?" My friend asked in curiosity one day as she took a bite out of her salad. Blinking at the random question, I swallowed my mouthful of bread and cocked my head in thought._

_"Hmm," I said as I tapped my chin. "I . . . think I would like Sai the best. Ogata would come a close second though; I have a weakness for blondes."_

_My friend stared at me as her lips twitched, but whether it was in horror or delight, I did not know. Knowing her though, it was probably delight. "Blondes? How about Hikaru then? You know, the main character?"_

_". . . Well," I said as I leaned back. "I did say I like Sai the best, right? I know its stupid since he's the freaking protagonist, but I kind of hate Hikaru for making Sai cry so much. He's cute, but just, his_ personality _. . ."_

_My friend let out a surprised chuckle. "Of course you would dislike his personality, Ms. Goody Two-Shoes."_

_"Hey!"_

_I pouted and playfully swiped a small tomato from my friend's lunch. She lightly slapped the back of my head in retaliation before we both burst into laughter._

_It took us a few minutes before we were able to stop wheezing, lunches long forgotten as we basked in the sun and the tinkles of our humor. When we finally managed to control our breathing, my friend picked up her fork again as she stared at me thoughtfully._

_"But since you like Sai so much, I can see why you don't like Hikaru. After all, Hikaru was the reason why Sai_ _―_ _"_

BRIIIIING!

_"_ _―so I can see why you would dislike him. On that train of thought, have you heard how . . ._ _"_

_I blinked in confusion as my friend continued to talk, even though I was sure the bell had just rung. However, looking around proved my ears to be the one in the wrong, since nobody else was packing up and getting ready to go back._

_". . . There's that new anime movie coming out, you should come over sometime so both of us can_ _―_ _"_

BRIIIIING!

_'Hikaru! Hikaru!'_

_I blinked again, feeling the stirrings of alarm. That bell again! And . . . what? Who just called me?_

_". . . Ah. You have to go now, right?" My friend mused softly._

_'Hikaru! Please wake up!'_

_I looked up in surprise, eyes widening when I found my friend watching me with a soft smile and a strange look in her eyes. She abandoned her fork before leaning forward and laying a warm hand onto my thigh._

_"Hey, take care of yourself?"_

BRIIIIING!

_". . . since I won't be there to do it for you anymore . . ."_

_._

_._

_._

The uncomfortable feel of sunlight shone onto my face as I turned to the side in an attempt to hide. Giving up when the insistent wail of both my new roommate and my alarm clock reached new heights, I squinted through my tears before pushing myself up to a sitting position.

_'Hikaruuuu!'_ The blurry blob to my left cried as silky fabric fluttered everywhere in his agitation. I . . . gave my eyes a good rub while simultaneously sighing. It was way too early for me to deal with these kind of things.

BRIIIIING!

With another sigh, I slapped my hand onto my alarm clock, sending the room into blissful silence. _What's wrong?_

_'Ah, it-it stopped.'_ Sai said with a puzzled frown before floating closer (but looking still wary) to my clock. _'Hikaru, what is this?'_

I blinked, bemused. The ghost got so scared over my alarm clock? He was even crying! _It's my alarm clock. I can set an alarm and it will ring when it gets to that time. It won't hurt you._

_'. . . Things have sure changed.'_ Sai commented as he cocked his head and peered at device, now looking more curious than scared. Leaving him to do just that, I got out of my comfy and warm bed before heading over to my drawers.

It was Saturday, and usually this Saturday I would stay at home and lounge around. Biweekly, however, I had violin lessons with my teacher, but that wasn't really an option anyway since my teacher was on vacation.

_Hmm._ I mused as I pondered my clothing choices. _Do you have something you want to do today?_

Sai bounced over, apparently done ogling my alarm clock. With pretty and big puppy-dog eyes, he gave me a beseeching look. _'Go?'_

_. . ._ Of course. Why did I even bother asking?

_Do you want to play Go against other people?_ I questioned exasperatedly as I settled with a sweater and some worn jeans. _Or are you okay with just teaching me?_

Sai blinked twice before looking quite conflicted. He nervously fidgeted with his fan before looking up with a small pout. _Can't we do both?_

I sighed. Well, there went my Saturday.

Shooing the ghost away from me after heading to the washroom, I quickly changed and refreshed myself. Letting Sai teach me was not a problem and easy to fulfill, but how could I let a ghost play against another person? On one hand, he could play through me . . . but . . . taking credit for another person's work didn't sit that well with me. I didn't even know how the canon!Hikaru did it without feeling guilty.

And plus, even in canon that method seemed to only birth new problems. So it was definitely a no-go. However . . . speaking of ideas from canon . . .

Walking out of my washroom, I gave the waiting ghost a smile. NetGo, on the other hand, was _definitely_ an option.

* * *

"I believe nothing happens by mistake. You know, the universe has a divine plan. That sounds dramatic."

_―_ Lana Del Rey

* * *

_'What are you doing, Hikaru?'_ Sai asked curiously as I started to boot up my computer. Another difference between canon and my life; while canon!Hikaru spent all his money on a combination of video games, manga, and food, I didn't.

Instead, any allowance I was given was saved up to buy a computer. After experiencing the unlimited joys of the Internet back in my previous life, I could no longer go days without being able to use it. Thus began my long quest to convince my parents that I should be allowed to get one. Thankfully, I found an old but decent violin in my grandparent's basement once upon a time, or else all my money would have been used to buy that. As it is now, I had a computer I could use to help Sai play Go, which meant I didn't have to go to those Internet cafes or the library.

_This is a computer._ I explained patiently. _It's like . . . a magical box that connects the screen to screens of other people. We can use it to play Go._

_'Go?'_ Sai turned back to my computer with a look of awe. I resisted the urge to chuckle. Seemed like my computer was now Sai's second most favorite item. After Go, of course.

Quickly typing out the website for NetGo, I waited for it to load before clicking on the sign-up button. Sai blinked, looking both confused and fascinated.

_'Hikaru, what are you doing?'_

I hummed softly as I started typing in Sai's info. _I thought it would be a good idea to make one account for you and one account for me. Oh, an account is just something you can use to play Go on the site. You claim a name on the site and use it every time you play, so people know its you. This way, people will still know about 'Sai' even if you are a ghost!_

I grinned triumphantly, happy with the idea. Canon!Hikaru was onto something when he made Sai a NetGo account. Pity he didn't let the ghost use it more often.

_'Hikaru . . .'_ Looking up from my task, I was surprised to see Sai staring at me with tears in his eyes. He earnestly met my gaze. _'Thank you.'_

_N-No problem._ I said, ducking my head in an attempt to cover up the light blush that I was probably sporting. Ugh, why did Sai have to do something like that? It was so embarrassing!

. . .

Geez, cut me some slack, okay? It wasn't everyday I heard such heart-felt words. Plus, what would _you_ do if an extremely handsome guy said that to your face?

_Anyway, your account name is **s a i**._ I told my resident ghost after I was sure I would no longer stutter.

Logging out of Sai's account and quickly going through the process again, I made my own account, **(sha-5-dow)** , smiling ironically even as I did so. After all, 'Hikaru' mean 'to shine', but in the Go world I would never become anything more than a forgettable shadow of Sai.

Switching back to Sai's account, I blinked at the beginning guide and quickly read everything. How to make a profile, upload an icon, issue challenges, mentoring . . .

_'Hikaru, what's that?'_ Sai asked curiously, pointing his fan at a blank box with the word 'student' on top of it. Blinking, I quickly hovered over it before reading the explanation that appeared.

_Oh._ I said with surprise. This website was much more advanced than it was in canon. Or perhaps canon!Hikaru just never decided to pay attention to these things. _You can mentor students on this site, apparently. It notifies you whenever your student has a game._

Sai perked up. _'A student? Hikaru, you're my student! You can be there!'_

_. . . Eh?_ I blinked, surprised again and even a bit touched. Hiding a soft smile and giving a small nod, I typed in my username and saved the settings of Sai's account.

_Are you ready to play?_ I asked as I began looking through the people online.

Sai beamed and fluttered happily. _'Yes!'_

* * *

Once upon a time, canon!Hikaru had no idea what Sai did to the world of NetGo.

Me, on the other hand . . .

Ha ha. Nah, I totally knew what Sai was doing to the poor Go community. And I enjoyed every second of it.

.

.

(. . . Please, I was reborn. I had to endure baby food for years. Becoming an inner sadist was one of my only ways to cope.)

**.**

**.**

**.**

_**pg 92/93/ . . . /104** _

_(Posted Mon Dec, 21 XXXX, 1:55PM)_

**zelda:** does anyone know who the user sai is? are they a pro? they wiped the floor with me in our game.

_(Posted Mon Dec, 21 XXXX, 1:58PM)_

**grapesforyou:** yea they trashed me 2! but i dunno their style is so old and unique tho, they're nuthing like the famouse pros

_(Posted Mon Dec, 21 XXXX, 2:00PM)_

**hinata123:** Maybe they're a foreigner pro?

_(Posted Mon Dec, 21 XXXX, 2:04PM)_

**zelda:** why would a foreign pro play on the Jap server of NetGo?

_(Posted Mon Dec, 21 XXXX, 2:06PM)_

**grapesforyou:** yea and they plays almost any1 that challenges them but they only play during c3rtain times for sum reason?

_(Posted Mon Dec, 21 XXXX, 2:10PM)_

**hinata123:** Then maybe they're a student?

**.**

**.**

**.**

_'Hikaru? What are you doing?'_ The smell of faint wisteria assaulted my sensitive nose as Sai leaned over to try and see my screen. For my part, I valiantly pushed down the urge to jump in fright. Though I had (mostly) gotten over the part about Sai being a dead _ghost_ , it still freaked me out whenever he decided to pop out of nowhere.

_Checking the forums._ I said with a cheeky grin, my heart rate finally calming down from my initial scare. _You're becoming a real sensation on NetGo._

_'Eh?'_ Sai blinked before blushing. His fan immediately covered the lower part of his face. _'I didn't think . . .'_

I laughed, a bit amused. Teasing Sai was quite fun.

_Isn't it great though?_ I mused as I turned off my computer and stretched. _This way a lot of the more advanced players would start challenging you._

Sai floated around, his deathly pale face still a bit flushed. _'I suppose . . . mou, Hikaru, are you ready to play Go?'_

"Yeah, yeah," I said out loud as I rolled my eyes and got out my stones and goban. You would think that Sai would get bored of playing Go with how much he played whenever he could coax me into letting him. And by that, I meant whenever I had free time.

The ghost probably played a dozen times more games than he did in canon at this point!

. . . Then again, I was the one getting free Go lessons from the best Go player in the entire world, so I guess I really couldn't complain.

For a while, all that could be heard throughout my room were the soft clacks of stone. I had started off with a very typical beginning, at least that was what the wiki said. Okay, yes, I was geeky enough to search up some how-to Go tutorials, since my first game with Sai was literally just me making random moves. But now, even with my extra knowledge . . .

I could already see I was still losing, and we were only a few stones in. Sai had probably adjusted his playing to suit my level, but his true genius still shone through. Every time he placed a stone it felt like I was scrambling to catch up. We exchanged a few more hands as I began to lose more and more ground, until finally I sighed and bowed my head.

_I resign._ Wryly, I stared at the board as my eyes flittered over the stones. Quietly, I tried to make sense of some of Sai's moves. And to be honest, some of my own moves too. _Could you explain to me what you did over here . . . ?_

Sai beamed, and for a moment I wondered how I had ever thought the ghost was scary. ' _Of course, Hikaru!_ '

* * *

' _This is your institution of education?_ ' Sai peered around curiously as he floated beside me. ' _The world sure has changed . . ._ '

_Yeah._ I agreed softly as I walked to class. _For one, school is free and mandatory, at least until we graduate high school._

' _Hmm,_ ' Sai hummed as he peered into a classroom. ' _That's_ _―_ '

"Hikaru!"

Blinking in surprise, I turned around to see Akari rushing towards me. She wore a worried frown.

"Are you okay?" Akari asked as she came to a stop before me. "I would have waited for you but I had a early club meeting."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I'm fine. Don't be such a worry-wart. You visited me on Friday morning already too!"

"Yeah, and you were still bedridden at the time," Akari snarked back, relaxing a bit after she gave me an once-over and realized I didn't still look sick or something. "What did you do over the weekend? You must have been bored, being confined at home."

I hummed softly. Akari knew me so well.

"Actually, I started learning Go," I said with an amused smile. My friend looked up in surprise.

"Go?" Akari said with furrowed eyebrows. "You never shown interest in it before . . ."

Like I said, Akari really knew me well. She was right though. Despite how popular it was in this new world, Go had never really interested me as I didn't really like any type of board game. Chess, Shougi, you name it, I probably didn't like it. Go was the same, because I found memorizing all the plays and stuff to be too much work.

Of course, that was before a Heian-age ghost decided to pop into my life. Though Go still wasn't something that completely fascinated me, I didn't mind playing it with Sai. Even I could appreciate Sai's true genius.

"Well," I hedged as I gave the wide-eyed Sai a soft smile. "It's fun. Akari-chan should try it too."

My friends, both the ghost and the living, stared at me. And then Akari hummed, a look of interest in her eyes.

"Maybe I will."

* * *

I had been walking home from school with Sai chattering my ear off when I suddenly froze.

' _Hikaru?_ '

Turning around stiffly, I stared at the Go salon on the side of the road. It was rather fancy-looking, and distantly I recalled that it was a Go salon that was owned by the current Meijin.

. . .

I . . . had a computer. Which meant I didn't have to go to Internet cafes . . . or even a Go salon.

Go salon.

Wasn't canon!Hikaru supposed to meet the current Meijin's son at a Go salon? Wasn't I supposed to dazzle him with Sai's genius?

' _Hikaru? Hikaru are you alright?_ '

I groaned and covered my face with my hands, startling Sai into a panic. At least I was in a relatively safe world? After all, even if I don't follow the canon events, my actions probably wouldn't cause a war or be the catalyst for the death of others.

But still . . . I had been really excited to meet the Meijin's son! He was one of the characters I had been rather interested in, and just. I had been so excited? Like, really really excited?

I resisted the urge to wail myself as Sai's cries grew louder.

How did I mess up something so important already?!

* * *

**O-M-A-K-E**

* * *

I flushed the toilet. Sai looked transfixed as the water drained away.

' _Hikaru, Hikaru,_ ' he begged when the water finally stopped running. ' _Do it again!_ '

. . .

Out of all the new and 'futuristic' things Sai could be interested in, why did it have to be the toilet? I needed to go to the washroom!

* * *

' _AHHHH!_ '

I almost jumped a foot in the air. _Sai?! What's wrong?_

The ghost stood frozen, staring at my mother who had gotten into the car.

' _Hikaru!_ ' Sai wept. ' _I'm sorry! Your mother got eaten by the metal monster!_ '

. . .

I wondered what Sai would do if I had gotten in as well.

. . .

With a sadistic smile, I perked up and opened the door, ignoring the startled scream from Sai. Served him right for keeping me up the whole night with his ghostly glowing!

* * *

' _Hikaru!_ ' Sai rushed over as tears dripped down his face. He pointed his fan to the television. ' _There's people stuck in the box!_ '

. . .

I sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much action in this chapter; to be honest it's just a filler. I wanted to slowly do some worldbuilding, but I also established the start of a few important things. Next chapter will see some more Go action, and perhaps some Akira as well!
> 
> I'm actually really excited about this story, it's so interesting writing about Sai and stuffs. I also want to give Akari a more solid personality . . . it makes me sad when the females in a story is only there for potential fanservice/pairings.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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